Norway in a Nutshell from East to West

We spent our 45th wedding anniversary back in Oslo.  What a great anniversary gift this trip has been.  The next phase of our trip is about to begin.  The rental car has been turned in and we will now be traveling by train, bus, and ferry.  We are following the Norway in a Nutshell route, but have slowed the pace so we can really get to know the areas where we stay.  The red dots clustered in the middle are where we visited or stayed while on our "Nutshell" trip.  Oslo to the SE is where we started and Bergen to the SW is where we end.  The blue dots are Lillehammer and Lom, the subject of the previous blog.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1E4zJK1AZ8k1G3nk0TuSqyt0qD2o  (a link to the map above if you like to zoom in and out)

The train to Myrdal took us up 2400’ to the snow covered mountain top.  The track from Myrdal to Flam covers a distance of 20K and drops back to sea level.  It took 20 years to build (started in 1924) and has 20 tunnels through the mountain.  Because of its steep gradient and picturesque scenery the Flam line is used almost exclusively for tourists.

The train, tunnel, snow, Kjosfossen water spirit (in the red dress), and finally a farm in the valley

Tourists come to Flam via the train or on cruise ships.  It is very much a tourist town.  We enjoyed a hike behind our hotel and strolled through the Flam train museum.  The museum documents the building and early days of the railroad.  Those of you who have cruised to Alaska may find the scenery familiar.  The beautiful scenery and deep water attracts cruise ships.  Cruise ships give rise to shops. 

Flam with a Holland America ship in port

After one night in Flam we took the bus 8K down the road to Aurland.  It is still a tourist destination, but is less crowded and lower key (no cruise ships). 

Aurland - view from the cemetery & looking back from the ferry

From Aurland we took a fjord tour by ferry to Gudvangen and back.  The ferry ride took 2 hours each way with a 3 hour layover in Gudvangen.  Plenty of time to see the area and have lunch.  Waterfalls were abundant along the way.

Crusing the fjord from Aurland to Gudvangen

We spent the next day exploring by bus.  Our route was Aurland to Leardal and then a second bus to Borgund. After a 20 minute walk from the busstop we were at the church.  It is one of the  least altered of the 28 remaining stave churches in Norway.  This one was built between around 1180.  The men who built the church were ship builders and they coated the wood with tar to preserve it, just as they did their boats.  The stave church is no longer used for services, only on special occasions or for a local wedding.  There is a "new" church built in 1868 that is used for services.  Across the road is the museum to help interpret the history of the church. 

 

The town of Leardal where we switched buses had its own beauty and an interesting "old town".

Leardal and old town

I almost forgot to mention, the bus ride from Aurland to Leardal had a unique distinction.  A 15 mile long tunnel bored through the mountain.  Not so great for sightseeing, but very efficient.  The alternate route is the "snow road" up and over the mountain.  The tunnel was constructed between 1995 and 2000.  Maybe Seattle should talk to them about how to make a tunnel.

The high speed ferry took us from Aurland to Balestrand the next day.  The four hour ferry ride gave us time to enjoy the fjord scenery and wonder what people do for a living out here.  There is a farm called Stigen which is only accessible by boat and a climb up an 800' steep rock face.  Stig means ladder and apparently in the old days they used a ladder to climb up the slippery rock face.

Norwegians love the sun and any day it was shining you would find them sunbathing.  They feel a serious need to generate vitamin D when they can. 

Views from the high speed ferry from Aurland to Balestrand

Feeling the need for some physical activity we rented bikes from the Balestrand Tourist Info and rode out past Dragsvik.  We visited  the white church and cemetery and the Lunde Arboretum with its huge Monkey Puzzle tree among its interesting tree collection.

The bike ride from Balestrand out past Dragsvik

The highlight of the bike ride was visiting the Enamel Shop of Solveig and Rolf Haukass outside of Balestrand.  Their house/workshop is up a hill.  We had to get off the bikes and walk it was so steep.  The effort was rewarded  by getting to meet Solveig and Rolf and learn about their work, home (since 1971) and life.  When their kids were young they would ride on a sled down the hill in the winter to catch the school bus.  "Two minutes of pure fun", Rolf said.  "Coming home it was 30 minutes of trudging through the snow." 

The best part of stopping at their place was getting to shop!  They had many pretty copper plates with colorful enamel art, but this one with ancient stone carvings caught my eye.  The also had pendents and earrings.  The only places they sell at are their shop and the Balestrand Hotel.

We can't leave Balestrand without a look at the St Olaf church.  It was built to honor the wishes of a dying English woman, Margaret Kvikne who had married a Norwegian, Knute Kvikne.  Margaret had started raising money to build a proper church, but died of TB and flu before it could be accomplished.  Knute followed through and had this lovely church built in 1897 to honor his wife.

St Olaf Church in Balestrand

To Bergen by high speed ferry we go.  It was an overcast day, but the scenery was amazing.  In some ways like the inside passage to Alaska.  The closer we got to Bergen the more boats and houses we saw.  We are starting to see more pleasure boats. 

The skies of Bergen are punctuated with many pretty spires and towers.  You can see from the backgrounds in the photos that our weather varied some.  It was raining when we arrived, but cleared nicely so we could see the sights.

Bergen spires

The old Hanseatic League commercial center of Bergen was populated by German merchants since the mid 1300's.  Fires frequently destroyed parts of Bergen.  The current buildings now a UNESCO World Heritage site were rebuilt after a fire in 1702.  The nice weather brought crowds out to the outside cafés.  Many of the buildings have a noticeable lean and the alleys between them are quite narrow.  

We arrived with a little rain, but that didn't stop the outdoor music.  I felt sorry for the woman holding the umbrella over the conductor.  Her arm must have been killing her.  There was an awning above most of the musicians.  You can see the weather got better and that their season is a little behind us in WA.  Our tulips were done before the end of April.  This tulip photo was taken May 29th.

A trip to Bergen is not complete without a visit to the Fish Market.  We happened to go there for our last dinner and were lucky to get there as they were closing down.  We got a big platter with fish, shrimp, crab for half price. 

Bergen fish market, Yum!

You also can't visit Bergen without taking the Floiban up to the hill overlooking the city.  There are nice hiking trails up there.  We happened to go up on the day they were doing the 7 Mountain run/walk.  The 7 mountain course in 30K.  There is a 4 mountain, 15K option that many families were doing.  Of course the ugly cod in old town is a tourist magnet.  I waited patiently for the Chinese cruise ship passengers to get their photos before moving in.  We also visited the Bergan aquarium.  We felt a little out of place as everyone had little children or grandchildren.  The sea lion show was great and the aquarium was nice even though small. 

Needless to say we found Bergen to be picture perfect.